The present invention relates to the field of ultrasonic atomizing inhalers, and in particular to an improved ultrasonic atomizing inhaler, and a nozzle and a liquid storage bottle therefor, which improve on the prior art.
There are various types of ultrasonic atomizing inhalers; one of these typically has a horn construction for vibrating at an ultrasonic frequency and for atomizing liquid supplied thereto, and the atomized liquid drifts away from said horn construction and enters into the mouth and/or the nose of a user. Such an ultrasonic atomizing inhaler is typically used for the inhalation of liquid medicine, and for humidification of the larynx of the user.
A typical such ultrasonic atomizing inhaler is shown in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings in sectional view. In this inhaler, the cone shaped horn construction d serves for concentrating ultrasound waves from its larger end to vibrate the oscillating plate e fixed at its smaller end. A supply c of liquid such as medicine is held in the storage bottle b, and is picked up therefrom by a wick construction a and is delivered little by little to the oscillating plate e by capillary action, whence it is atomized into the air as described above. Thus, the wick construction a is made from an absorbent material with a fine network or filamentary structure such as cotton, and raises a flow of the liquid c in the bottle b upwards by capillary action from the lower end of said wick construction a dipped in said liquid c to deliver said liquid flow to the oscillating plate e at the top end of said wick construction a.
In such a conventional ultrasonic atomizing inhaler, since the bottle b is provided below the oscillating plate e, the supply of the liquid b is solely dependent upon the effect of capillary action in the wick construction a which in fact is fighting against the action of gravity upon said liquid b, and especially when the liquid b is rather viscous satisfactory supply thereof may no occur properly. This causes unsatisfactory atomization action. Furthermore, the proper supply of liquid from the bottle b to the oscillating plate e is rather dependent upon the level of liquid in the bottle b, and when the amount of liquid remaining in said bottle b becomes little the change of level required to be provided by the capillary action is all the greater. As a result, it is difficult to properly atomize the last portion of the liquid c in the bottle b. This can be very troublesome, particularly if the liquid is an expensive medicinal liquid.
It might be conceived of to place the bottle b at a higher level, but then it would be likely that oversupply of liquid through the wick construction a would occur. This could in the worst case cause troublesome dribbling down of the liquid, and attendant waste and mess. Again, in the case that the liquid were an expensive medicinal liquid, this would be quite unacceptable.
Now, another problem that can occur with the shown prior art is that the wick construction a, after being kept impregnated with water or medicinal liquid for some time, may start to breed bacteria, or may start to emit a bad odor; this is very unhygenic. Further, since when refilling the ultrasonic atomizing inhaler, typically the wick construction a is replaced in order partially to avoid these problems, the device is not economical in use, and is wasteful of materials. Further, if the viscosity of the liquid to be atomized is great, such a transport mechanism as the wick construction a cannot effectively supply it to the oscillating plate e.
Also, when refilling the ultrasonic atomizing inhaler, it is typically necessary to remove the wick construction or its analog part. However, this can be very troublesome, and can lead to wear on the inhaler or on the fitting parts thereof. Further, the likelihood can develop of loss or damage to some small and fiddly part which is required to be removed and replaced, and further a possibility arises of improper refitting of said part.